In the midst of the Corona crisis, schools are gradually being reopened. NRW family minister Stamp calls for a faster procedure when opening daycare – and threatens to go it alone, although researchers warn.
Update from May 6, 10:15 a.m .: The federal government wants an appropriate concept for School openings to introduce. This was what the Federal Cabinet had proposed last week in the Chancellor’s consultations with the Prime Minister. But just a day before the scheduled date, several federal states are leaping into the breach with their own concepts.
The cabinet proposes to gradually allow all students to return to school until the summer holidays. Pupils with special needs, for example because of the domestic situation or the technical equipment, should “receive targeted pedagogical attendance offers at schools as soon as possible”. Graduating classes, older elementary school students and classes taking exams next year are already back in schools in many places. Consensus of the education ministers of the countries is also that until the summer holidays, for example, by shift models, all other pupils can return to schools at least temporarily, but that normal operation will not initially exist. The Corona Cabinet’s resolution* For the Merkel summit, further easing in other areas of public life is planned.
Before the Prime Minister’s Summit with Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), too Baden-Württemberg Prime Minister Kretschmann clearly*.
Corona loosening for schools and daycare centers: Bavaria and Hesse rush ahead – court overturns mask requirement
Update from May 5, 6:11 p.m .: No mask requirement at schools in Jena. Schoolchildren from the city of Thuringia do not need one Mouth and nose protection in class to carry more. It did that on Tuesday Administrative court Gera decided by express procedure. The regulation in the city’s latest general decree was declared illegal, as court spokesman Bernd Amelung told the German Press Agency.
Due to the currently low number of infections in the city, there was no need for such stricter hygiene measures in the classroom, it was said to justify. The city had taken a special path in class with the mask requirement that had been in force at the beginning of the week. Against that was Free Waldorf School Jena proceeded legally.
Update from May 5, 12:38 p.m .: Also in Hesse decisions were made regarding schools and day care centers. Lessons are to start again on May 18 for a large number of students. Among them are the fourth graders and many students in secondary schools.
The rest of the elementary school students should return to the classrooms on June 2, as the Ministry of Culture on Tuesday at the request of German press agency (DPA) announced in Wiesbaden. Because of the corona pandemic, only the final years of secondary school are currently in Hessen schools informed.
From May 18, school operations for, among other things, the secondary level I and the introductory phase of secondary level II should start at least to a limited extent, the ministry explained. This would mean that all students in secondary schools would be back in class at least temporarily. A further opening of the vocational schools is also planned. Minister of Education Alexander Lorz (CDU) explained that school operations in this school year will continue to consist of days at school and learning from home.
Corona loosening for families: Bavaria with far-reaching decisions for schools and daycare centers
Update from May 5, 12.30 p.m .:
Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder spoke at a press conference on Tuesday about the easing of the situation Daycare centers and the schools. Caution is advised, says Markus Söder. On the one hand, there are parents who need care, other parents are very concerned. “Our goal is that until Pentecost up to 50 percent of the children will be looked after again in the daycare centers.” After Pentecost, the other part should then follow, says Söder. From May 25, all preschool children should follow.
The same system is followed in the schools. The aim is that all students can return to class in the current school year. For the time being, a division of classes is also foreseen, the Mask requirement do not apply in the classroom but in the breaks. Until Pentecost, there is also a relaxed attendance requirement for the students.
A four-stage plan is being pursued, like Minister of Culture Michael Piazolo announced. The first took place on April 27th, when final classes were allowed to return to class. Second step: On May 11th, the pre-grading classes and the fourth grades of the primary school should return. That was decided now. Third: On May 18 and May 25, the younger students of the respective school type should also return. The fourth step with the remaining stages is to come on June 15, “if the infection allows it,” said Piazolo.
Corona decisions on schools and daycare centers: one federal state is advancing – daycare opening decided
Update from May 5, 10.55 a.m .: As the German press agency (DPA) reported to be in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania the childcare restrictions imposed by the corona virus are significantly relaxed. For around 4,500 children with nannies and nannies, according to the DPA start regular care on May 11th. A week later, on May 18, according to plans by the Ministry of Social Affairs, all 13,600 preschool children are to go to the Day care center can return. The plans are to be an issue in the cabinet on Thursday.
Also Lower Saxony has announced a relaxation of corona restrictions on childcare. There the day care should open again on May 11th.
Coronavirus: Greens boss Göring-Eckardt foresees the Ministry of Family Affairs to make decisions outside
Update from May 4th, 11.42 a.m .: The Green Group leader Katrin Goering-Eckardt has the Absence of the family ministry in the Corona cabinet criticized. “Families bear a particularly large burden in this crisis,” emphasized Göring-Eckardt in an interview with the Picture on Sunday. The Green politician is therefore completely incomprehensible that the family minister is at most “a dinghy”. “Apparently it was neither Merkel nor Scholz important enough to focus on families,” criticized the minister. It is disappointingthat Minister Franziska Giffey (SPD) does not therefore struggle to have a say in the center of decisions.
In the Corona cabinet, which always meets on Mondays and Thursdays, we only have Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) as well as the Foreign, internal, finance and defense departments. Giffey defended the composition against the Bild newspaper: “The Corona cabinet is deliberately kept small. That makes sense, ”she said. Depending on the agenda, technical ministers are called in at the Thursday meetings. Giffey pointed out that she was allowed to attend two Thursday sessions and emphasized: “In the debate about easing steps, I worked very hard for the interests of children and parents – in internal votes and in public.”
Corona virus in Germany: Gradual opening of schools and daycare centers planned
First report from May 4, 2020:
Berlin / Düsseldorf – How about the gradual opening of schools and day care centers Chancellor Angela Merkel and the prime ministers of the federal states want to decide on next Wednesday in the midst of the corona crisis. And comes out in advance North Rhine-Westphalia Print. NRW State Minister for the Family Joachim Stamp (FDP) has threatened to go it alone if daycare centers are opened if Merkel does not decide on a uniform opening course with the country heads on Wednesday.
Corona decision on schools and daycare centers: NRW threatens to go it alone
“I would now like to go our way,” said the deputy Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia in the podcast “Morning briefing“From Gabor Steingart. He further emphasized: “We will not allow ourselves to be put off for another week.” Stamp wants one “Improvised operation” of the daycare centers. This should enable children to be given access as quickly as possible and “day care workers and educators feel safe even in times of the pandemic,” said Stamp.
The FDP politician criticized that the situation of families and children during the Corona crisis had been neglected in the past few days. In addition, Stamp emphasized that the family ministers of the countries “showed clear ways” and one “Concept of gradual opening” would have presented. The NRW family minister speaks of four phases in this context, starting with the Emergency care about the extended emergency care by improvised regular operation and finally that Regular operation. In the meantime, the phase between extended emergency care and improvised regular operation has been reached – “if we let us do it,” complained Stamp.
NRW family minister Joachim Stamp (FDP) wants to open daycare centers again as soon as possible – and is now threatening to go it alone nationally.
© dpa / Federico Gambarini
—
Coronavirus: research team led by Drosten warns – children are just as contagious as adults
While the family minister is pushing for a quick opening of the daycare centers, a research team around the Berlin virologist Prof. Christian Drosten* Corona virus findings that do not support Stamp’s request. According to the study, children are in the coronavirus pandemic probably as contagious as adults*. The Scientists warn that’s why before unrestricted opening of schools and kindergartens in Germany. As the team from the Berlin Charité reports, the number of viruses detectable in the respiratory tract does not differ among different age groups.
To what extent children pass the virus on to others has so far been unclear, according to the previously published study, which has not yet been examined by independent experts. It is also difficult to investigate the transferability of children, especially because the schools were closed early and the virus was passed on mainly by adult travelers, especially in the initial phase of the epidemic. In addition, children often have only light or no Symptoms* and would therefore be tested less frequently.
Coronavirus study at Charité shows: viral load does not differ between age groups
In Samples from 3712 infected the team around Drosten had now determined the amount of Sars-CoV-2 viruses. They found no difference in viral load between different age groups. The researchers’ conclusion: When assessing the Contagion risk* In schools and kindergartens, the same assumptions that apply to adults would have to be used.
Viral loads by PCR as seen in our laboratories. No significant difference between children and adults. Age categories: Kindergarten (KG), Grade school (GS), Highschool (HS), etc. with age ranges and (counts). https://t.co/xunzyHEi47 pic.twitter.com/je73hsKrZb
– Christian Drosten (@c_drosten) April 29, 2020
–
They also admitted that it was Arguments give according to which children are less contagious be as adults. About that usually have no symptoms* and therefore cough less. On the other hand, they are much more physically and socially active.
Drosten reported referring to a “science” study in his NDR-Podcast of that Children and adults apparently have a different risk of infection have: In simple terms, children are only a third as susceptible to coronavirus infection as adults. The virologist, however, raised concerns that this is maybe compensate through behavior – For example, because children have much more intensive contacts with each other.
Superb new study: Risk of infection upon exposure in children may be about 1/3 that of adults (sorry for the simplification). Important counterpart to yesterday’s viral load data (https://t.co/XfpT7Iu3ym)https://t.co/UkOWtEHiJE
– Christian Drosten (@c_drosten) April 30, 2020
–
Lothar Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute, also emphasized on Thursday that children played the same role in the spread as adults. “They can be infected, they can kill the virus and infect others,” he said.
Schools / daycare centers in Germany: Stamp demands more freedom of choice for the federal states
Stamp but apparently do not dissuade these insights from his course. He insists that Countries need “their freedom”because the corona pandemic is different in each country. But even though NRW is one of the federal states most affected by the pandemic, criticized Stamp the gradual and careful Government action in the form of regular consultations with the country chiefs Stamp sharp. It is “not a permanent condition” that the Chancellor alone with the 16 Prime Ministers decides “what works and what does not work”. Whether it is going to go it alone in North Rhine-Westphalia when it comes to opening the daycare center depends largely on the outcome of the federal-state consultations on Wednesday.
By the way: You can find tips on how to keep children busy in school-free and daycare-free times in the following video.
* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
cia with AFP and dpa
List of rubric lists: © dpa / Carsten Rehder
–
